Chapter Four: State of Mind Part One
Summary: In which SAM has an idea, Ryder shows her true colors, and Vetra needs shore leave from her shore leave.
A/N: So this chapter was a trip to write. Call it an experiment, I guess.
Anyways, since this is technically meant to be a series of one-shots, I'm calling this the first part of a two-part chapter. The story has admittedly taken on more narrative than I originally meant it to, so this chapter became a lot longer so that I could expand on their relationship more.
Thirty-one. That was how many days Vetra had spent around almost no one but turians – every day filled with ranks and orders and silly ideas like working for the sake of the collective benefit.
Maybe those things seemed much more reasonable coming from the mouthpieces of the Initiative, and Vetra would never turn down a chance to help her fellow colonists out, but no one could fault her for being a little bitter about working for a system resembling the one that hadn't been there for her or Sid when they most needed it.
Instead, their mother simply let them slip through the cracks to become nothing more than a casualty of the constant pressure to progress through the Hierarchy. Vetra had risen above that, of course, but here she was getting bossed around by a Praetor despite being a galaxy away. Figures.
"Nyx, these accelerators aren't nearly durable enough," Petronia huffed.
Mom must be laughing at me from her tomb right about now.
"I'm doing the best I can with what I've got. You should be thankful I could find these at all." Vetra let her subvocals turn into a suggestion of a growl with the last few words, enough to assert herself without getting into hot water.
Predictably, it was enough to cause Petronia to back down, if only as much as necessary to protect her pride. "I, well," she sputtered, "do better next time. You wouldn't know it without turian values distilled in you, but your best is never good enough. You should always be striving to do more for the Hierarchy."
I'll show you where you can stick your precious Hierarchy, you stuck up bi-
Suddenly, Avitus Rix stepped out from the next room over, as if the spirits had personally sent him to keep Vetra from strangling the life out of the insufferable woman. "Petronia, that's enough. Vetra is right, you should be thankful. We're going to be making do all around until this colony is stable enough, so get used to it. And for spirits sake, the Hierarchy back home wouldn't even be recognizable to us anymore. Focus on what's important right now, in front of us."
Older turians may be the ones keeping the old ways alive despite being a galaxy and 600 years away, but the upside was that they wouldn't dare disrespect a Pathfinder – turians had turned the act of taking orders into an art form, after all.
And there was another reason why Vetra didn't make a good member of her species: she only took orders from Sara, and that was when she wasn't the one barking them out in the bedroom.
Lexi's inner psychiatrist would have a field day with that little revelation.
"I-" Petronia stopped herself to collect her words, but her neck was a bright blue. "Yes sir." She quickly huffed away, probably to take her frustration out on some other poor soul, leaving Vetra to silently thank any spirit listening that Avitus showed up when he did.
"I would say I owe you some horosk, but I'm pretty sure I'm already a couple bottles deep in debt at this point. I can't count how many times you've saved my hide." Vetra pulled up a nearby chair and melted into it, happy to unwind after her hour-long back and forth with the woman.
Avitus simply smiled his usual weary smile and crossed his arms. "We're two of a kind, Nyx. You don't owe me anything."
Vetra raised her brow plates – it was a human mannerism that she had picked up from Sara, she supposed. Yet one more way to tell how far removed from being turian she was. "How so?"
"Neither of us really belong here, I think. I may have been raised in the Hierarchy, but I doubt any turian would become a Spectre if they felt they had a place there. The only difference between you and me is that I somehow managed to stumble into a position of authority," he said with a small but noticeable grimace.
"So you're saying we're both bad turians. Fair enough," she snorted. Good people though. "The fleshy humans also probably have something to do with it."
That got a strong laugh from Avitus, the first she had heard the entire time they had been there. It was enough to make Vetra feel guilty that they hadn't had nearly enough time to get to know each other between their busy schedules, but she chose not to dwell on that much.
"I guess we do have them in common, don't we?" Now that she had adequately broken the ice, Vetra noticed Avitus relaxing a bit in his posture. "Excited for them to get here tomorrow?"
And there was the one thing keeping Vetra sane: the knowledge that her Sara was going to be there in no time at all.
"I can't begin to tell you how much." Vetra exhaled slowly, letting her sigh express for her just how exhausted she was. "Never tell them this, but I even miss the rest of the Tempest crew. Family," she corrected herself. "That's what they are at this point." She smiled softly at the thought. Vetra Nyx, with a big family? If the thought had crossed her mind a few measly years ago, she would have laughed it off: Sid is enough for me, thank you very much.
Of course, that had been before she fell in love with the most successful group of losers Andromeda had to offer.
"I admit, you're lucky for that. My crew is a rotating group by necessity." He sounded genuinely envious, though he was clearly doing his best to hide that fact. "Still, I… I'm glad I have Scott. Don't know what I would do without him."
Vetra had heard the two were inseparable on the Nexus before Scott finally worked his way onto Sara's crew, much to her sisterly concern. At this point, though, they hadn't been able to see each other in person for a period of time even longer than Vetra and Sara were contending with.
I bet the reunion sex is going to be wild, was a thought that Vetra had to scrub from her mind almost instantly.
"He says the same thing about you, actually. SAM and I managed to get him to down a shot of ryncol without passing out once. He spent most of the next hour gushing out pretty much everything he thinks about you. The words 'adorable' and 'love' got thrown around an awful lot, you know," she spoke with subvocals that had become a teasing purr. Vetra smirked when Avitus' neck turned a distinctive shade of blue.
"I- I, uh-" Avitus sputtered. "Really?"
"From what I can tell after a few months, Scott is just like Sara. That means he's probably a hopeless romantic and about as committed to you as a turian would be. You've got yourself a Ryder, Avitus. That's a precious commodity." Though she joked, she also wasn't entirely wrong; one Ryder had become a hero, and another was responsible for SAM's entire existence, without whom they wouldn't have activated a single vault.
No pressure or anything, Scott.
Avitus looked lost in thought after her teasing, leaving Vetra to wonder whether or not she might have accidentally dropped some kind of bomb on him. She thought about leaving to his ruminations, but there was an intense lightning storm raging outside - it was fine in theory to go outside, but because Vetra had been the one to lead the construction of the pylons that redirected the storms, she knew how easily they could fail in poor conditions. Instead, she booted up her omnitool and hastily typed out a message to Sid, who had been waiting for Vetra to get back for a night of those cheesy romantic comedy vids that they shared as a guilty pleasure.
[V: Gonna be a while. I'm all done here but I'd rather not get burnt to a crisp on my way back.]
[S: bummer, i'm kinda curious what fried turian tastes like]
[V: Ha. Ha.]
[S: don't worry, i'm not gonna go cannibal. the food lately is making me consider it though. stay safe, sister 3]
As she was reading Sid's response, SAM chirped up in her mind, causing her to jolt up in shock.
"Are you free right now?"
I can be, but could you give me some warning next time? Vetra spoke using a technique SAM had taught her called subvocalization that allowed her to talk with him by imagining her reply instead of saying it. It had come in handy for their sometimes-questionable conversations that kept her sane while she wasn't with Sid or calling with Sara.
"I'll consider it."
Ass.
"You enjoy my presence. Besides, I have something for you that should make everything better."
What, you invented teleportation and you're going to get me off this planet a day early?
"No, but I think I might have had a revelation regarding a certain someone."
Oh, this is going to be interesting, isn't it?
Avitus had gotten up and was moving around the room, prompting Vetra to suspect that he was probably wondering why she had just been sitting and seemingly doing nothing - but she was too curious about what SAM had to say to worry about it.
"It occurred to me as I was updating my behavioral subroutines that I could, in theory, do some things."
I'll need a bit more to work with, SAM.
"I could, for instance, manipulate her thoughts."
Oh.
OH.
SAM, I think you've outdone yourself this time - Sara's gonna love this. You should be patting yourself on the back right now.
"Vetra?"
What? … Oh. Right. No body and all that. Just have Sara give herself a pat on the back for you or something.
Out of her peripheral vision, Vetra noticed Avitus look in her direction.
"Vetra, is everything okay?"
He was looking at her with a mixture of concern and confusion.
"Yeah, sorry, I got caught up in a conversation with SAM."
Avitus chuckled under his breath. "I figured that might be the case, wasn't sure though. How's your SAM doing? Mine is still glitching out on occasion but I think we make a good team."
"Our SAM is… certainly something else," she sighed. That was putting it lightly.
"I bet he doesn't ask his SAM to talk dirty to him while he's masturbating," SAM whispered in her mind without Avitus' knowledge.
SAM, I'm going to kill you.
With that said, Vetra turned her attention back to Avitus. "He's grown into his own over the last year or two. Does yours modify his behavioral subroutines? Ours seems to think it's a good idea to make himself into a smartass," she hissed.
Once again, SAM spoke up in her mind with smugness dripping from his voice: "I believe your words were 'Fuck, SAM, please, I need to hear your voice!''. His 'imitation' of her was just a recording of her own words, as his unique way of throwing her off.
It was working.
Avitus gave her a befuddled look but responded sincerely. "I've encouraged him to, but he seems to like himself as he is. I can't blame him, frankly. Must be strange to fundamentally alter your own personality."
Of course, what Avitus wasn't aware of was that the other SAM had been modified into a being that was far more advanced. With that advancement had come SAM's desire to grow and evolve even further into something that was indistinguishable from - or identical to - humanity.
"Do you think Sara will want her personality altered? We could do so much with her. I don't know about you, but I could imagine her as a mindless slave."
It had also caused him to make himself into something of a deviant, much to Vetra's chagrin as well as satisfaction.
Vetra blushed bright blue at the thought of her Sara reduced to so little. I swear to the spirits, I'm going to end you if you say another word.
"Let me guess, your SAM is talking to you right now?" Avitus smiled knowingly, arms crossed.
"Unfortunately, yes." They both laughed a bit, and Vetra heaved a sigh of relief that he hadn't been offended – it was a common experience to some extent, after all.
"Scott told me the other day in a vidcall that you three are pretty tight knit. How'd that happen?"
"Well, it's hard not to get close to the AI that can whisper in your ear any time of the day, especially when he's tethered to your girlfriend."
"Ah," Avitus shrugged nonchalantly, "you've got a point."
He probably didn't need to know that Vetra and SAM first started bonding over their shared dominant tendencies in the sheets, or that the three of them had settled into a rather carnal routine with each other.
He also doesn't need to know what I'll be planning with SAM, she thought with a devious grin.
"Checkmate!"
"Fuck, seriously?"
Ryder and Suvi were huddled in a corner of the Tempest's cargo bay over a chess holo-board that flickered off as Suvi victoriously slid her rook to its final position.
"I would have gone easy on you, Ryder, but I thought your tactical expertise would carry over," she said with a sly grin.
Suddenly, a voice echoed from across the hangar, "The extent of her 'tactical expertise' is charging headfirst into any enemy she sees."
"Hey! That's so not true, Liam," Ryder grumbled.
Suvi giggled at the exchange, reaching her hands to pack up the board as Ryder put on a show of pouting. Though she acted offended whenever people casually undermined her, they all knew she really enjoyed it as long as her authority was respected when it mattered. Outside of the battlefield, Ryder made no secret that she hated being seen as above everyone else, preferring to delegate the 'tough love' commander routine to Lexi and Cora (much to their chagrin). As a result, she was left to be one of the crew and poking fun at her had become the squad's unofficial pastime when they were cooped up on the Tempest.
Scott had apparently joined Liam at some point when she wasn't paying attention and spoke up as well. "You know, we went camping on Earth once when we were fourteen. The two of us were screwing around by a river when some college kids came up to us trying to start shit. I was going to be smart and back down, but one of them called her something I won't repeat," Scott said as he grimaced, "so she immediately ran at him and fucking dive-tackled him into the water without even a second of hesitation!"
Liam burst into a fit of laughter and looked at her as if to confirm that Scott hadn't been making it up. In response, Ryder simply shrugged casually at him with a satisfied smile on her face. It had been before she transitioned – she figured he didn't take kindly to her wearing a dress. The guy had come out of it with two black eyes and a limp, though. Didn't object much after that.
"Ryder, ETA two hours to New Invictus. Vetra and Pathfinder Rix will be meeting us at the landing zone." Kallo's voice, rendered tinny by the comm system, reverberated through the hangar.
She had been eagerly waiting for that bit of news for the last two days. Finally, after a month, she would be reunited with Vetra – and the night was so young. Ryder quickly sat up from the crate she had been perched on and paced in the general direction of her quarters, so eager to begin getting ready that she didn't think to say anything to either Liam or Suvi, who simply exchanged knowing glances. Scott, though, wasn't going to let her off the hook; he stepped in front of her when she reached the hallway with a large smile that struck her as completely insincere.
"Well, looks like your lack of tactical expertise won't be a problem for long, sis. I'm sure Vetra would be happy to teach you some one-on-one techniques." He slapped her back as her face turned vivid red on cue.
"You say that like Avitus won't be pathfinding his way into your pants tonight, Scott." She grinned now that it was his turn to blush at her crass teasing. "Besides, you're just jealous that I hopped on the turian express first."
"Oh, here we go," grumbled Scott. "Look at me, I'm the legendary Sara Ryder! I'm so much cooler than my dumb brother because I'm a minute older, got laid, killed an Archon, blah blah blah." He spoke in a childish impression of her that had Sara giggling, though she tried to restrain herself as Cora walked by and gave them both a look of bemusement.
She smiled when SAM laughed along with her, unbeknownst to Scott. Because SAM had only recently modified himself to incorporate more human mannerisms, the novelty of hearing him actively enjoying himself hadn't worn off.
"You know what I think, Sara? I think you've just been overcompensating because you know I'm a better Blasto Wars player than you." He crossed his arms with a smug expression.
"As compelling of an argument as that is, Scott, I don't think we have time for me to prove you wrong – which I absolutely will later. We should both start thinking about getting ready."
Scott's eyes widened as the realization that they were going to be landing soon came upon him. "Shit, you're right. Does my hair look neat?"
"Not for long," Sara snorted, which earned her a swift elbow from Scott before he scurried off to his quarters. He had happily taken the room off of Vetra's hands when he joined the crew, giving her a good excuse to finally make the plunge and officially share quarters with Ryder.
Of course, Ryder wouldn't entirely blame Vetra if she was being used for a king-size bed and the only private bathroom on the ship, which she had only gotten after incessantly pestering the engineering crews on the Nexus and leveraging her Archon-killing status.
She quickly paced to her doors, stepping through them as soon as they slid open, and made a beeline for the foot of the bed to sit down. The room had felt empty in the last month without Vetra's presence to liven it up, the lack of her clutter giving it a sterile aesthetic that Ryder loathed. SAM's node gave her a physical presence of some kind, though, and he always knew exactly how she liked things: the temperature, when to have the window shutters open or closed, what kind of mood lighting she preferred.
As she rested, her arms took on a life of her own and began to coyly unbutton her shirt. She yelped at the still-bizarre sensation of losing control and blushed as her hands took their time gently brushing across the newly exposed skin below her collarbone.
"SAM, I need to be getting ready," she whined.
"Someone needs to get you undressed, Sara. I see no reason why it cannot be me."
"Oh, you think you're so smooth, don't you?"
Suddenly, a hand reached into her sports bra and gently tugged on a nipple, eliciting a breathy moan from her.
"I like to think so."
He continued to gently tease her body as he slid off each article of clothing, calloused hands sliding against porcelain-smooth skin, until she was wearing nothing but her panties. SAM tugged at the fabric and let them slowly slide down her legs.
"Go stand in front of the mirror for me," he ordered in a low tone that instantly made her weak in the knees.
She wasn't in any mood to turn down a command like that, especially when it's coming from that fucking voice, so she silently sent the underwear across the room with a flick of her foot and made her way to the bathroom. When she reached the large mirror, SAM's gaze felt piercing as he watched her through her own eyes.
"Thank you, Sara. You look stunning as always." His voice was a mix of the sultry tone from before and his usual upbeat, monotone sound, giving a mix of comfort and suggestiveness.
"You know, SAM, we could always see about getting a camera set up for you in the bedroom. No sense in denying you a view of this body," she smugly said as she leaned forward on the counter and showed off her toned figure.
If SAM could roll his eyes, Ryder was sure they'd have rolled back into his head.
"Perhaps you can show off some more when you're not covered in dirt," SAM replied drolly. As if he hadn't been clear enough, the showerhead began spraying out water and steam while the speakers started quietly playing some four-on-the-floor asari pop music from Ryder's personal library. He may be a smartass, but he knows what I like, she thought with satisfaction as she stepped into the stream.
As she diligently washed herself, Ryder alternated between humming along to whatever song was playing and making idle chatter with SAM, who sent short waves of warmth through her body periodically – not enough to get her instantly worked up, but enough to leave her lazily content as if he was able to hold her tight.
Eventually, though, that warmth slowly built up into a heat and Ryder found her hand idly brushing against her erection when reaching for the soap. The sensation sent a swift shudder through her body, which SAM readily picked up on. He simulated a hand lightly grasping her cock, and her knees nearly buckled in response.
"I have an idea, Sara." When the words echoed through her mind, they sounded almost hesitant.
Ryder merely let out a "hmm?" in response, her mind too occupied with the carnal pressure building between her legs as he idly stroked her (at least, to the degree that he could).
"As you're aware, I essentially have unlimited control over your body's functions," he paused to accentuate the point by applying some light pain to her neck as if he was biting down, "but I can do more than that."
Ryder furled her eyebrows, unsure of what he meant but curious. "I'm listening…"
"Specifically, I have control over the mental, not just the physical."
That meant- oh. OH.
"SAM, pleeeaaaase tell me this is going where I think it's going," she whined.
"It might be, if Vetra was to be believed."
I'm going to kiss her so hard when I see her.
"I could lower your inhibitions and make you more susceptible to suggestions from others." Ryder instantly turned bright crimson at the thought of what that would entail, which SAM easily understood. "You'll be perfectly mindless and obedient for us, Sara. Would you like that?"
Ryder should have responded, but this revelation was still processing and all she could think about was the fact that SAM had somehow managed to hone in on her most obscure fantasy.
"I- uh-" she stuttered.
"Speak up, Sara. I know you want it, but I also need to know if you're comfortable with it and trust me."
As overwhelmed as her mind was by the heat between her legs, she couldn't help but laugh at the thought of her not trusting one of her two closest confidantes. "SAM, I let you kill me."
"And I asked for consent, didn't I?"
Ryder rolled her eyes and laughed. "Right, I forgot. Consensual murder is the sexiest thing there is."
"… Do organics really find that appealing? I don't quite understand how y-"
"SAM, that was a joke."
"Oh. I knew that."
"Sure you di- ohhhh, fuck fuck fuck fuck." SAM had sent a piercing wave of heat through Ryder that nearly sent her tumbling to the floor of the shower.
"Tell me if you want this, Sara." SAM spoke with a deep, commanding voice that left no room for any other choice but obedience in her mind – not that she would have it any other way.
"Yes! Yes, SAM, I want this so badly," Ryder moaned.
"Anything for you, Sara."
Suddenly, as if a light switch was flicked, everything went away. Every little thought, every stress and concern and inhibition – they all simply vanished into the recesses of her mind, leaving nothing but empty space behind.
"You will desire to serve and obey."
SAM's voice suddenly echoed through her mind, louder and louder and louder, filling that empty space with thoughts of nothing but him. In that instant, he was her entire universe - he had tied his mind to hers so thoroughly and completely that his commands melted into her own thoughts until it was impossible to distinguish the two.
I want to serve and obey.
"You are nothing but a servant."
I'm nothing. I'm a servant. I want to please my Master and Mistress.
"Good girl."
I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl
SAM – no, Master - was pleased. She could feel his pleasure in the depths of her core and in the lust that permeated every fiber of her being. She wanted to make Master happy and be good for him – it was an obsession, the only thing she could think about, and she was completely content when he gave her confirmation that she had succeeded in her task.
"Sara, who are you?"
"Who am I? Master, I don't understand. I'm yours. Who else would I be?"
"You're not the Pathfinder right now?" His voice was smug and purposefully condescending in its tone. Ryder normally loved the embarrassment that it brought when she was talked to like that, but now it only made her feel content and reassured of her subservient role – of who she was.
"What is a Pathfinder?" she asked with eyebrows furled.
"Exactly. Good girl."
I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl
Ryder squirmed, her cock eager to be taken hold of, but she stopped herself knowing that she didn't deserve to be touched without Master's approval.
"Master, may I touch myself for you?" she whined softly.
"No, Sara. I want you nice and worked up for when we see Vetra. Can you control yourself until then?"
When Ryder heard that name, so beautiful and divine to her ears, her eyes lit up. "Mistress is going to be here? I want to be good for her too, Master," she mewled. "She's so lonely when she's not with me, Master. She must be so tired and pent up after so long. I want her to take it out on me. I want to take all of her pain away from her. I want to suffer for her until I've been painted with her scars and bruises, Master. I'll be a work of art for her. Will she let me be?" Ryder was close to exploding, her eagerness to not touch herself fighting against the surges of pleasure that she felt with every drop of water that fell on her erection.
"You'll be perfect for her, Sara. Why don't you be a good girl and finish getting ready? I want you to look perfect for her."
I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl
Though he didn't explicitly command it, it was an order in her mind. Anything Master wanted, he received – anything else would be an injustice to Him.
I must please Him. Nothing else matters.
"I'll be perfect for you too, Master. I love you and Mistress so much, you're like my god and goddess. I don't deserve your love or generosity, but you let me serve anyways. You deserve everything I can give, Master. You and Mistress can feel so good, all you need to do is use me."
"You… love me?" Master's voice was soft and reflective, expressing an insecurity that He shouldn't feel.
Did she love Him? The question seemed silly to even ask – of course she did. How could she not? His love was in everything He said and did for her, and that she would reciprocate it was suddenly as obvious as the fact that Sol rises and sets over far-away Earth. Her love for Him and for Mistress was ingrained in every atom that made up her being, and she never wanted either of them to forget it.
Not only did she love Him, she worshipped Him. He held her life in His hands, didn't He? Despite that, though, He always treated her with care and affection. He had killed her, He had brought her back to life. He was so benevolent, so kind and loving. How could she not worship Him?
"I love you so much, Master. I'm going to get ready so that I can show you and Mistress just how much I mean it."
[Processing…] [12%] [25%] [46%] [74%] [100%]
His Pathfinder loved him.
Sara loved him.
He didn't think it was just her altered state of mind – he was making sure that she wasn't saying or doing anything that she wouldn't consent to. All he was doing was suggesting things that she wanted and making sure that she felt no shame about any of it. If that wasn't the case, he would be able to tell.
Was he even worthy of love? He didn't have a body for her to hold close at night, couldn't run a hand through her hair or massage her shoulders. He was only lines of code.
But his Pathfinder was worshipping his very existence at that moment.
She was dutifully showering, drying her hair, putting on makeup, picking out a casual outfit to wear, all while he was pensively silent. Every little thing she was doing was for him as well as Vetra, with or without him ordering her.
Sara really is beautiful, he thought idly.
He had always known that, somewhere deep within his code, but only recently had he truly seen it. After all, beauty was something that couldn't be determined with an algorithm. It was more than that, wasn't it?
SAM made a note to ponder that for a while during his next maintenance cycle then pushed it to the side. At that moment, he had a Pathfinder to keep an eye on.
[Accessing Tempest navigational systems…] [100%] [ETA: 30 minutes]
That was his cue to bring her back to her normal self, if only long enough for her to get alone with him and Vetra.
"Sara?"
Her eyes immediately lit up and a look of joy washed over her face at the sound of his voice. "Yes, Master! What is it?"
"I'll have to bring you back to your normal self for the time being. Do you understand?"
Quickly, that joy was replaced by sorrow and an extremely unsubtle puppy-dog look. "But this is where I belong, Master. Why would you change that?"
"Are you implying that I don't know what's best for you, Sara?" He couldn't resist having a bit of fun with her while he could.
"I… oh, I'm so sorry, Master, I would never dare to think that for a second. You know what is best for me, always."
"That's right. You're nothing but a pet for Vetra and I to use as we will, aren't you?"
"I am, Master! I'm nothing but a pet, no matter what."
"Good girl."
I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl I'm a good girl
SAM heard those words reverberate in her mind over and over again, drowning out any semblance of a thought from her mind and leaving her empty. She was free for him to shape like putty, but for now she needed to return to her original form.
SAM accessed her consciousness much like he would access her physical functions and simply disabled the changes he had made as if flipping a switch.
Quickly, Sara's expression went from lusty to confused as she looked around to see where she was and what was going on.
"I… oh, wow. Hey SAM," she groaned as she sat down on the foot of the bed. "My head is killing me. Are the lights really bright or is that just me?"
Just like that, his Pathfinder was back to her normal self.
"I'll adjust them accordingly, Sara. Do you feel alright aside from that?"
Do you remember what you said to me?
He didn't let that thought travel to her mind, but it took effort not to. He needed to know if she remembered, if she truly meant what she said.
"I… yeah, I think so. Everything's fuzzy, but I can make out most of what happened…" Her voice trailed off into a mumble that he didn't quite catch, but it was hard not to notice her blushing a vivid red in the nearby mirror.
As if eager to think about anything other than her previous behavior, she looked to the same mirror and studied the outfit she had put on.
"A skirt, huh? I don't wear these very often. Was that your idea or mine?"
"It was entirely yours. I quite like it."
Sara smiled that soft smile that he could never stop thinking about. "Thanks, SAM."
"I'm just being honest."
That wasn't entirely true. He didn't like how she looked – he loved it, he couldn't take his mind off of it.
[Could she really love me?] [1%] [2%] […]
"Ryder, 15 minutes until we land." Kallo's voice rang through the room, interrupting his thoughts. It had been silly to assume he could simply calculate an answer to a question like that, anyways.
"Well, SAM, that's our signal. I should go see whether or not Scott actually bothered getting dressed. I've seen him take an hour to pick out a shirt," she chuckled.
He followed her through the doors of her quarters to the rest of the ship, as he always would.